The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested a man on Friday who was wanted by police in Ohio, Kentucky and Florida.
Benjamin Genovese, 35, was arrested at a family member’s house on Joseph Street in Ashtabula by the U.S. Marshals Service with the assistance of the Ashtabula Police Department, according to a news release from the Task Force.
Genovese was wanted by the Mentor Police Department for felony larceny, the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office for larceny, the Florida Department of Corrections for a probation violation, the Polk County Florida Sheriff’s Office for felony larceny and the Woodford County Kentucky Sheriff’s Office for failure to pay child support, according to the release.
Lt. Tom Powers with the Mentor Police Department said Genovese was arrested in 2011 for allegedly stealing a purse from Cleats restaurant (now the Happy Moose Bar and Grill) on Reynolds Road.
According to Mentor Municipal Court records, after appearing for an arraignment hearing on Dec. 29, 2011, Genovese did not appear for a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 5, 2012.
“Genovese is a career criminal with an extensive criminal history in five states and this arrest will put a halt to his most recent crime spree,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott.